The DNA of a 'typical' CU
The Snapshot Survey data enabled us to spot trends across CUs and to form a picture of a 'typical' or average CU situation.
- 40 members
- 25 regular, 15 sporadic
- 31 British, 9 international
- 20 attend charismatic churches, 20 do not
- 28 white students, 12 ethnic minority students
- 18 are members of a society or club other than the CU, 22 are not
- 16 have at least one non-Christian housemate, 24 do not
- 1 got baptised in the past year and the CU was a key part in their coming to faith
- 3 non-believers attended CU small groups
- 6 are on CU committee, and 6 are in other leadership roles
- 10 CU leaders are white, 2 are from ethnic minority backgrounds
Six markers of a thriving CU
We found that the most common hallmarks of CUs seeing most evangelistic engagement – regardless of the CUs’ size or institutional setting – were:
- Consideration of context: these CUs consistently had an approach and put on events that catered very specifically to their universities, showing that they had thought carefully about their setting.
- Strong internal community: community was strong amongst CU members at these CUs, with older CU members often befriending and being role models to those in younger years.
- Sincere friendship: in these CUs, CU members had genuine friendships outside of the CU. They were often good at drawing unbelieving friends into relationships with others in their CUs.
- Regular visibility: there was often a frequent element of public-facing activity in these CUs’ outreach, meaning that these CUs were seen, well-known and trusted by the wider student body in their universities.
- A culture of prayerfulness: CU leaders in high performing CUs described prayer as something that made their CUs healthy, and something they emphasised.
- Authentic student leaders: CU student leaders clearly articulated the vision for students reaching students and modelled it in their own lives. These leaders were described by others as approachable and part of the CU community themselves, leading the CU ‘alongside’ its wider membership, not just from the front.
The importance of understanding our CUs
Of course, it’s because of the last of these hallmarks – the need for faithful and genuine CU leaders to lead their CUs in mission – that UCCF comes in. We owe the 1,600 students currently in CU leadership, leading gospel outreach in one of the UK’s most diverse and strategic mission fields, our love, help and backing. A key expression of this is ensuring that there are CU Staff Workers who can stand alongside them, as well as providing written and digital resources and training conferences.